Intel DP55WG: a Different Inexpensive LGA1156 Mainboard

We are already familiar with the flagship LGA1156 mainboard from Intel – DP55KG. We also know a very affordable solution in Intel P55 Express chipset – Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R. What does Intel DP55WG mainboard from the Media Series have in common with these two, and what is different? Read our review to find out.

The main hero of our today’s review is a full-size ATX mainboard – Intel DP55WG from the Media Series based on Intel P55 Express chipset. Of course, we are going to compare its accessories bundle, PCB layout, features, performance and power consumption against those of the numerous previously tested LGA1156 mainboards. However, in most cases we will compare Intel DP55WG only against two solutions from this list. First, we have to find out how this solution differs from Intel DP55KG, which belongs to a more technologically advanced Extreme Series. Since both solutions are from two different product lineups and are in different price ranges, the differences between them must be quite significant. Therefore, we have one more very good solution for comparison purposes. Just like Intel DP55WG, Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R mainboard is a relatively inexpensive solution and will be an ideal opponent for our today’s hero. However, it turned out that Gigabyte and Intel use completely different approaches when it comes to designing their low-cost mainstream solutions.

Package and Accessories

The box Intel DP55WG mainboard comes in looks very similar to the one used for the flagship Intel mainboard, with that only difference that there is no famous skull image on it and the black-and-white color scheme has been replaced with blue-and-white one:

The back of the box bears a mainboard photo and brief information about its features and functionality.

Inside the box you find the mainboard wrapped in antistatic bag additionally protected by a cardboard frame. Among the accessories are:

Four SATA cables with metal connector locks;

Bridge for multi-card graphics configurations;

I/O Shield for the mainboard back panel;

Colorful poster with brief assembly instructions in several different languages;